The Darkness of Grimm
by Inquisitor Azreal
Summary: <html><head></head>"Lets just hope we don't get sucked into some trans-dimensional vortex." he said while blinking once at me. I could only stare at him mouth agape before he added "That was a joke." "Hilarious." I said dryly.</html>


**I know I know I should be working on Assassin of beacon but oh my gerd destiny man! It's taken over my creativity completely and dinklebot set this up so perfectly, as soon as I heard the line my mind just took off with posibilities. Every time I tried to sit down to work on AoB I got completely side tracked by points and events.**

**So ya this needs to be written if I am ever to do anything productive again.**

**And yes the not giving a name this chapter is intentional. All you need to know is he is a WARLOCK and most of the game mechanics like light and levels won't come into play.**

**=][=**

The Moon.

Funny that it's not _A_ moon but _THE_ Moon. And it's _THE_ Moon all because it was lucky enough to orbit our pale blue dot in space, because it orbits us. Even though humanity has colonized half a dozen moons in our solar system this desolate grey dust ball shall forever be _THE_ Moon. Even during the golden age at the height of the Travellers power when planets began to sprout life from no where, the Moon remained an airless waste.

And as I trudged across its surface perfect footprints trailing behind me I couldn't help but remember something about my past life. "I hate the Moon."

"I quite like it actually, it's where I found you after all." A Ghost materialized next to my head, it's shell painted a royal blue with white stripes. That was a pain to get done, with him zipping around trying to escape but I was sick of him looking exactly the same as every other Ghost. Besides it looked good for a Ghost and his Guardian to match.

Realizing I had spoken out loud I responded. "Of course, but I would count that as the only positive this place has."

"Hmm well the faster we find this shrine, the faster we can leave. Remember Osiris is counting on us the end this threat." Ghost said bobbing up and down. "It's down in the Helmouth deeper then anyone's gone before."

I fought hard to suppress the shiver that travelled down my spine. "I want it on record that I think this is a terrible idea." I said pulling my fusion rifle from my back.

"Noted." my constant companion said before vanishing into the lattice work of my astrolord hood. Glancing longingly over my shoulder one last time at the comparative safety of my ship I sighed before starting my way down hill toward the entrance to hell. Checking the charge on the fusion rifle and the condition of its ether coils, seeing them slightly unaligned I nudged them into position and shut the heat shroud. Taking out my hand cannon I grimaced, it was an ugly piece of crap with a slow fire rate and a heavy impact round. It was the exact opposite of the style I preferred but it was the only hand cannon I have found that was rugged enough to be used a club when needed. It was strictly relegated to a secondary.

"Are you sure going without heavy support is wise?" Ghosts voice echoed in my head.

"If I'm doing this I'd rather have the extra channelling runes then a few rockets. Besides heavy weapons are cumbersome and for some reason dampen my connection to the void. Now let's get this over with."

As we neared the entrance I readied a vortex in the palm of my hand and edged quietly through the gate way. Nothing not even a thrall was in sight. It was eerie, more so then normal. Even in the regular raids that the vanguards sanctioned into the Helmouth to quell numbers there would be thousands of hive eager to rend and devour flesh. This just wasn't right.

"Ghost, I don't like this. Can we please just go?" I whispered even though I had no reason to as my suit was sealed but something in my gut told me that I need to be as quiet as possible.

I could feel him shudder in the helmet "I'm... Starting to feel the same, the darkness is becoming oppressive. We must be close, let's just push on a bit more."

"Fine but if we don't locate it in the next five minutes I'm calling the vang-" I stopped as we came upon a tunnel, not just any tunnel but a very artificial one, with huge pipes and wires that pulsed and arced with energy. "This is not hive." I again whispered to Ghost.

"And it isn't on any of the vanguards archives, the factions are reporting negatives returns as well."

"Great. Just my luck." Moving forward I pulled my trigger finger until the first stage clicked and my fusion rifle glowed faintly with the power of the sun a soft humming filled the tunnel. for what felt like hours we walked, again eerily quiet and peaceful. Just when I was prepared to turn back again the tunnel opened into a massive chamber.

"That's quite the sight." Ghost muttered. And he was right, in front of us contained in rings of tomb steel sat a swirling sphere of pure darkness only interrupted by streaks of orange hunger. Around it dozens of acolytes knelt in worship. "You have to get me under the shrine, I need to get a scan of this thing."

"Yea I'll get right on that." I said sarcastically. Swapping the prepped vortex grenade for a pair of axion bolts, I subconsciously forced the void through a different combination of runes that covered every inch of the plates hidden beneath my trench coat. I tossed it under hand and willed them to roll along the floor before releasing them to seek their own targets, as soon as they made contact they phased through the chitin and detonated inside their bodies, stabilized the darkness inside them caused secondary detonations to trigger which was quickly followed by the final wave of tertiary explosions that shredded the first and second ranks. The remaining acolytes were sent reeling from the psychic backlash of suddenly losing a good portion of their hive mind. Taking advantage of that I strafed out of cover while depressing my finger triggering the last stage of the rifles charge.

Sweeping it at the last second, bolts of solar energy arced in a wave and several more acolytes dissipated to ash. Three more bursts and the area was cleared. "That was easy." Ghost muttered.

"Don't say that! We don't need to jinx our luck when we're so close to the end." I joked half serious. I walked down one of the ramps to the base of the shrine and pull ghost from my palm to my extended palm. "There you go, get your scans and let's get out of here."

"The shrine is connected to something outside the solar system, I think I can break the link." He said after integrating with the pillar. "Your call."

I nodded once "Do it."

"Lets just hope we don't get sucked into some trans-dimensional vortex." he said while blinking once at me. I could only stare at him mouth agape before he added "That was a joke."

"Hilarious." I said dryly.

"Finally someone who appreciates my humour." Ghost started to link with the pillar when a large grinding noise echoed through the chamber. Running up the ramp I saw what can adequately be described as nightmare fuel. Hundreds upon hundreds of thralls emerged from a hole directly above the ball and clawed their way across the ceiling and down the walls, all the while a massive door just to my right had finished sliding open to reveal dozens of acolytes and a knight several stories high.

"Oh fuck..." I whispered before yelling "You had to jinx it Ghost?! Whatever you're doing make it fast!"

"Sorry! Only trying to cut the connections of evil here! Not exactly a job worth rushing!" Knowing the charge time would get me killed I quickly disabled all safety measures of the fusion rifle making it full auto after a single charge. The risk of overheating and explosive failure was huge but honestly that was the least of my problems right now. I just sprayed and sprayed at the walls hoping to in some way thin the horde that was nearing the floor but even after fifty or sixty thralls ceased to exist I hardly noticed a difference, I went to pull the trigger again but nothing happened. Looking down I saw the ether coils had fused together preventing any energy from flowing through them.

"Damn damn damn damn damn! Why me?!" I screamed in frustration before slinging the rifle of my back and pulling out my hand cannon and very urgently switching the flow of energy to my runes. I could feel the contradictory build up of emptiness that was associated with void walking in my legs and left arm. Then I did something very stupid I charged.

My fighting style is different then most warlocks, not unique but it focuses on an aspect that out friendly rivals the hunters thrived in. Melee. Channelling the void to my unoccupied limbs I was able to create null fields that would enhance the strength of my blows while weakening theirs and if things got really desperate I could expel the energy from a limb to create a wave that would scythe through opponents.

So I charged, performing a quick energy drain to surge my own movement and reaction speed. I punched through skulls and caved in chest cavities with elbows, knees were snapped backward with kicks, my pistol roared when an acolyte though it could engage while I was preoccupied with the swarm and it's head burst. Dozens fell and yet it wasn't enough, my trench coat was shredded my helmet scarred, wounds were exposed to the foul air the hive thrived in and then that monstrosity opened fire with its massive boomer. It killed more thralls then anything but it knocked me over long enough for another thrall to sink it's claws into my abdomen and rake them across. The only reason my entrails were not decorating the floor was I had already sent a soul rip at the same thrall which sealed the wound as fast as it was made.

"GHOST!"

"I got it! Destroy the sphere and the backlash will kill any hive within ten miles!" A quick muscle twitch changed a specific rune pattern on my thighs and I jumped into the void...

Only to reappear in reality twenty feet in the air where I quickly spun to face the sphere and sent a nova bomb lancing towards it, it sunk in about half way before detonating brilliantly. The sphere folded in on itself and every hive screamed as their connection to the darkness rended apart their fragile minds before exploding into dust.

I on the other hand didn't even have the energy to realize I was falling. I landed hard on my left side and felt my shoulder pop out of its socket. I let out a quick cry of pain before rolling on my back. I just lay there breathing heavy when ghost floated into view. "We did it." he stated, and even though he had no face his side flaps fluttered in what I had come to recognize as his form of smile.

"Not bad for a 3 month guardian." I quipped.

"Not bad at all, I knew I chose right." Despite the large amount of pain I was in right now and how tired I was, that made me feel good. Like this was worth it. I was about to tell him as much when an awful scream made me try to cover my ears and curl in a ball, it was soul crushing and debilitating.

"Ghost?! What is that?!" I rolled to my side to see him once again interfacing with that pillar

"Um you know how I joked about a trans-dimensional vortex?"

"Ghost?!" I said my tone pleading.

"Turns out it wasn't a joke. We have thirty seconds. I'm sorry, I failed you."

"Ghost? Why what's happening?" I asked fear and realization breaking through the pain.

"We're going to wherever the shrine connected to. The darkness ther-"

He never got to finish because suddenly everything was white.

**=][=**

**How no one has used this mission as a crossover point is insane! I mean it's the perfect set up. **


End file.
